It could surpass the other martial arts

Martial arts experts consider that none of the modalities that exist surpasses Shaolin Kung Fu. The etymology of the word Kung Fu is derived from the prefix “gong”, which translates into Spanish: ‘work’ and ‘Fu’, which means ‘man’. Everything as a whole has the meaning of “continued effort and work”.

But this has not always been known in the American continent, as it was jealously protected as a secret by the Shaolin monks and other spiritual orders from the East. Characters like Bruce Lee or David Carradine helped make Kung Fu famous worldwide.

According to Chinese sources, the origin of this powerful martial art would have been gestated in the year 527 of the Christian era, thanks to the fact that a practicing monk of the doctrine of Buddha, named Bodhidarma, delivered such knowledge after heroically crossing the imposing Himalayas, until reach China and continue his course to the vicinity of the Changjiang River, where he established the first Shaolin monastery, focused on Zen Buddhism.

Bodhidharma taught, in addition to Buddhist mystical arts, a strange martial art from India that over the centuries was perfected by Shaolin monks, according to some Kung Fu trends.

Almost all sides conclude that Kung Fu, despite being lethal and the most powerful martial art, is not designed to attack anyone, but on the contrary, exclusively to defend life, both one’s own and that of others. For the Shaolin priests, Kung Fu is applied to defeat one’s own Ego or demons of Marah, internal demons.

One of the greatest millennial exponents of Kung Fu was Sun Zi, author of a book entitled “The Art of War”, in which some methods of self-defense and military-type strategy are explained, detailing the weak points that a fighter may have, enemy in general, as their strengths.

But in the 13 treaties that constitute it, it is always highlighted that the objective or final goal is to defeat the enemy without even having presented the slightest combat. In 1972, some manuscripts were found on bamboo scrolls from two centuries after Sun Zi, whose authorship is by Sun Bin, where he captured the wisdom of the art of fighting but focused on natural techniques used by animals, such as the tiger, the praying mantis, etc.

Various variants of Kung Fu

However, Kung Fu has undergone various modifications over time, due to the philosophical and social influence of the Chinese dynasties. For example, in the period from the 7th to the 10th century, times when the Tang Dynasty dominated, 18 more movements and the use of a staff for battle were added.

However, the diversity of Kung Fu styles is mainly due to the Mongol invasion in the 12th century, leading to the Yan Dynasty outright prohibiting any martial art from the Chinese population and therefore, this knowledge remained underground and modalities were developed.

After the Second Global War, the People’s Republic of China with its implacable regime, institutionalized Kung Fu as a national sport, after Mao Tse Tung dedicated himself to disappearing most of the Buddhist traditions of the monarchies. It is currently known in China as “Wushu” and this idiom has spread to various countries, replacing the word Kung Fu.

One of the most important premises of this martial art is that “Without suffering there is no learning”. It is one of the first warnings for aspirants to the Shaolin priesthood. Some temples receive huge numbers of tourists annually, excited to appreciate the tremendous displays of the monks, as it is something extremely ecstatic and sublime.

These monks get up at 3 in the morning to practice the most intense exercises to harden their bodies like steel, become invisible and imperceptible, awaken psychic faculties, meditate and enter mystical trances, among other tasks that extend throughout the day. day.

Kung Fu is their way of life and thanks to it they are able to achieve feats such as putting their bodies in boiling oil and not getting burned or hurt in the least; breaking steel swords with their heads; running on water; drying their wet clothes with the energy of Chi in just a couple of minutes and many other wonders that seem like science fiction, but now it has been scientifically proven all this and more.

Bodhidharma is considered the father of Kung Fu Zen and the first patriarch of the Chan (Zen) school in China. An unknown fact about him is that he is believed to have been Indian, not Chinese. Bodhidharma is believed to have traveled from India to China in the 5th century AD to spread Mahayana Buddhism and meditation. Although there is no concrete evidence, the place where he is believed to have been born is in a region that is now in southern India.